I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song
by Chibi Jen-chan
Summary: It's Syaoran's 18th birthday and he still hasn't confessed to Sakura. How will he? A oneshot dedicated to Syaoran's birthday. Happy birthday, Syaoran!


Author's Note: Yay! I'm finally writing a fanfic! I wrote a couple of fanfics a few years ago, but I discontinued them. This is going to be a one-shot in remembrance of Syaoran's birthday. Happy birthday, Syaoran! At least it's not a Friday this year This fic is semi-AU, meaning that Syaoran hasn't told Sakura of his feelings. Sakura and crew are 17, and Syaoran is turning 18.

**Bold-**Dates

_Italics_-Thoughts or song lyrics (which won't be used 'til later)

Disclaimer: No matter how much I try, I can't disillusion myself from believing that I own Cardcaptor Sakura. However, because these executives from CLAMP are behind me, "persuading" me to write this, I will. I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or its characters. Are you happy now? I'm sure not.

* * *

I'll Have To Say "I Love You" In A Song

An S+S fanfic dedicated to Syaoran's birthday by Chibi Jen-chan

**Monday, July 10th, 2006**

Syaoran paced back and forth in his bedroom, a quite familiar routine made obvious by the tracks in his carpet. Eventually, he gave up and fell backwards onto his bed, another routine made obvious by the creaking bedsprings. Today had been yet another failed attempt at confessing to Sakura. Tomoyo had created the perfect situation: a convenient exit off her balcony while Sakura and Syaoran remained. Of course, the tea and sweets were too much for Kero to resist.

"Damn that plush toy and his appetite," Syaoran cursed to himself. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before his attention was drawn to the bear he had made for Sakura. Remembering the story he had "accidentally" overheard from the girls while sitting in a tree during lunch, he blushed. "I'll be 18 in 3 days and I still can't tell her? Hopefully that doesn't say anything about my ruling abilities," he muttered to himself. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Sakura sat on Tomoyo's sofa while Tomoyo brought in more tea. 

"I wonder what happened to Syaoran-kun? He suddenly ran off like that," Sakura wondered. Tomoyo giggled for a moment.

"Matters of the heart are very troubling sometimes," Tomoyo replied, handing Sakura a cup.

"Hoe?" Sakura asked with a confused look. Tomoyo giggled again.

"Nothing, nothing. Just drink your tea," Tomoyo answered. "You know that Li-kun's birthday is in a few days, right?" Sakura gasped.

"That's right! I can't believe I almost forgot!" she exclaimed. "Will you help me pick out a gift?"

"Of course, Sakura-chan. I'm busy tomorrow, however, so we'll go Wednesday," Tomoyo blushed while responding. Sakura knew exactly what it was about.

"Eriol-kun?" she questioned. Tomoyo simply nodded, a tinge of pink remaining on her cheeks. Sakura smiled. "I'm happy for you," she said. Tomoyo smiled back.

* * *

** Tuesday, July 11th, 2006**

Syaoran's sleep was rudely interrupted by the sun shining through his window. He groaned and covered his eyes. Just then, his mobile phone (courtesy of the Daidouji Toy Corporation) began to ring. He glanced at the caller ID and blushed when he realized who was phoning him.

"Y-yes, this is Syaoran," he answered.

"Syaoran-kun! It's Sakura," came the voice from the other end.

"I know. Caller ID, remember?" Syaoran replied. Sakura giggled, causing Syaoran to smile.

"I forgot about that. Umm…I was wondering…umm," Sakura sounded nervous.

"Go on," Syaoran encouraged.

"Well, Tomoyo-chan is out with Eriol-kun today. I was wondering if you'd like to go for a walk?" she inquired.

"Umm…" Syaoran started, but was interrupted by a flustered Sakura.

"If you're busy, it's fine! I understand. Or perhaps you just…" she rambled before she heard Syaoran laugh.

"Sakura, it's fine. I'm not busy. I'll pick you up in a few minutes, alright?" he responded. Sakura smiled on the other end.

"Ok. See you in a few," she replied. They hung up and prepared for their day together.

* * *

Syaoran appeared at Sakura's door 20 minutes after their phone conversation. He knocked on the door, but was shocked at who answered it. 

"What are you doing here, kid?" Touya asked as he opened the door.

"I could ask the same for you," Syaoran replied, smirking, "aren't you a little too old to be living with Daddy and Sissy?" Touya growled and was prepared to slam the door on Syaoran's face. However, Sakura chose the opportunity to sneak up behind Touya and grab the door.

"I'm going out with Syaoran-kun. See you later, onii-chan!" Sakura announced as she grabbed Syaoran's hand and ran. Touya, unable to fit in an objection, was left with a blank look and a sweatdrop.

* * *

"There's a new ice cream shop that just opened a few days ago. Would you like to go there?" Sakura asked, ruminating over ideas of what they could do. Syaoran smiled and nodded. 

"If that's what you'd like to do," he answered. Sakura smiled back and nodded. _This will be the perfect opportunity to tell her_, Syaoran thought to himself. He noticed that he had been staring at Sakura, and she was now looking at him with a confused expression. He blushed and turned away. Just then, a certain plush toy popped out of Sakura's purse.

"Did I hear 'ice cream'?" Kero asked.

"K-Kerberos!" Syaoran exclaimed. Sakura yelled and shoved Kero back in.

"Kero-chan! I told you to stay home!" she whispered.

"Your brother wanted me to keep an eye on you," Kero replied. Sakura growled.

"Stupid onii-chan…" she grumbled. Syaoran chuckled at her reaction.

"Is this the place you meant, Sakura?" Syaoran questioned as they stopped in front of a small, cute shop with a billboard of ice cream cones. _I guess I can't tell her today…damnit_, he thought. Sakura sighed, snapping Syaoran out of his reverie.

"Yes, this is the place," she responded.

"Yay!" Kero shouted from inside the bag. Sakura lightly hit the purse to shut him up. A muffled "ow!" was heard. Sakura giggled and Syaoran smirked.

* * *

"Thanks for going out with me today," Sakura said as Syaoran walked her to her door. He smiled. 

"You're more than welcome. Thank you for inviting me," he replied. _Perhaps I can tell her now_, he thought to himself. "Sakura?" Sakura tilted her head to the side.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I…I…l-l…I lo…" he stuttered. Before he could finish, the door opened.

"It's about time you came home, Sakura," Touya stated from the doorway. He and Syaoran engaged in their usual glaring contest. Sakura sighed.

"Goodnight, Syaoran-kun," she said before walking in the house. The glaring contest was interrupted as Syaoran turned to say goodnight. However, she was already out of sight.

"I suggest you start walking…that is, if you know what's good for you," Touya growled. Syaoran raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, I was going to ask you for a ride home," he joked. Touya growled more. Syaoran smirked and started heading home.

* * *

**Wednesday, July 12th, 2006**

Sakura awoke to the sound of her alarm clock. She promptly shut it off and once again hid under her covers. Another alarm clock went off a few seconds later. Her hand shot out and turned it off so she could go back to sleeping. A third alarm clock went off. This time, she grabbed the cursed object keeping her from precious sleep, and threw it. Kero barely managed to dodge the heavy article heading straight towards him.

"Sakura! Watch where you're throwing! You wanted to get up early, remember?" he said, bubbles of drowsiness floating around his head. Sakura grumbled and got dressed. "You never did tell me why you had to get up this early," Kero stated, hovering by Sakura.

"I'm supposed to go shopping for Syaoran-kun's birthday present with Tomoyo-chan," Sakura mumbled.

"That kid doesn't deserve a pres…wait, did you say Tomoyo?" Kero responded.

"Yes I did. Why?" Sakura asked. Kero giggled, hearts in his eyes.

"Will she have sweets?" he inquired. Sakura smacked him.

* * *

Today, Syaoran woke up because his peaceful sleep had been interrupted by a disturbing dream. Nightmare, more like. He had been about to confess to Sakura when Touya came out, chasing him with a hot frying pan. Syaoran sighed and turned on his radio. The lyrics that flowed out expressed his feelings quite accurately. 

'_Cause every time I tried to tell you_

_The words just came out wrong_

_So I'll have to say "I love you" in a song_

Just then, a figurative light bulb appeared above Syaoran's head. He smiled at his idea and headed out.

* * *

Sakura and Tomoyo walked through Maki's shop, trying to figure out what Syaoran would like. 

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Maki asked, walking over to Sakura and Tomoyo.

"Do you know of anything an 18-year-old boy might like?" Tomoyo questioned, turning to look at Maki while Sakura continued searching. When Tomoyo and Maki were finished talking, Tomoyo came across something and pointed it out to Sakura.

"Perhaps this?" Tomoyo said, pointing to what she had found. Sakura blushed.

"A-are you sure?" Sakura asked. Tomoyo giggled and nodded.

* * *

"Hello, my cute little descendant," Eriol said as he answered the door. Syaoran growled and attempted to pass him. "Before I can let you pass, you must answer me these questions three," Eriol stated in a voice reminiscent of the bridge keeper in _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_. Syaoran raised an eyebrow. 

"I swear you get weirder by the day, Hiiragizawa," Syaoran said. Eriol merely chuckled.

"First question: what is your name?" he asked.

"You know my name," Syaoran answered.

"Just go along with it."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Fine. Li Syaoran."

"What is your quest?"

"To learn how to play guitar so I can sing a song confessing my feelings for Sakura."

"What is…WHAT?" Eriol exclaimed with a baffled expression. Eriol was hoping to get out his question of "what is the air-speed velocity of a flying swallow," but this was too much for him. "Why on Earth do you think I can play guitar?" he asked, still puzzled.

"You're Clow Reed, you can do anything," Syaoran replied. Eriol smirked and let him in.

"Glad you finally realized," he said. Syaoran rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Do you think I'll be able to finish this by tomorrow?" Sakura asked nervously as she traced a pattern. 

"Of course you can," Tomoyo responded, "you're Sakura-chan, remember?" Sakura blushed.

"I still say the kid doesn't deserve a gift," Kero said. Sakura took a cupcake and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Kero-chan, I love you, but you need to learn how to shut up sometimes," she stated bluntly. Tomoyo giggled while Kero choked. After he regained his composure, he glared at Tomoyo.

"Glad to see you care so much about me," he complained. Tomoyo smiled sweetly and shoved another cupcake in his mouth.

* * *

"When exactly do you want to have this song learned by?" Eriol asked after he had found the guitar tabs. 

"Tomorrow," Syaoran replied. Eriol stared blankly.

"You can't be serious."

"I am."

"Do you honestly expect to learn this by tomorrow?" Eriol shouted.

"Yep."

"Oh, okay then. Let's get to work." Syaoran picked up the guitar and Eriol moved his fingers to properly hold it. Syaoran strummed a dissonant chord and Eriol cringed. "We have a lot of work to do…"

* * *

**Thursday, July 13th, 2006**

After an all-nighter, both teenagers managed to finish their projects. Syaoran was able to play his song for Sakura, and Sakura finished her gift for Syaoran.

"You never fail to amaze me, Li-kun," Eriol said as Syaoran sang and played the song though, "now we just need to get you some singing lessons." Syaoran stuck his tongue out and Eriol chuckled.

"Shut up, Hiiragizawa."

* * *

Sakura sighed with relief as she finished the last stitch. Tomoyo and Sakura cleaned up the mess of scattered fabric and Kero went to sleep. Sakura turned to her creation and admired her work. 

"I'm so glad I finished this," she whispered, so as not to wake Kero.

"I told you that you could," Tomoyo answered, "and it looks a lot better than your last one." Sakura frowned and Tomoyo giggled. A voice came from Sakura's drawer.

"No, don't take my cake. Mine! Mine!" Sakura sighed.

"Is there ever a time when he doesn't think of food?" Tomoyo giggled more.

"In any case, don't you think we ought to get this to Li-kun?" she asked. Sakura nodded and dialed Syaoran's number. When no one picked up, she hung up the phone, disappointed. "Perhaps he's still sleeping?" Tomoyo suggested. Sakura looked at the clock.

"Tomoyo-chan, it's two thirty in the afternoon, I doubt it," Sakura replied. "Let's see if he's at his apartment." Tomoyo nodded.

* * *

After his long night of work, Syaoran was too exhausted to walk home. Instead, Eriol allowed him to crash on his sofa. Eriol watched as his cute little descendant slept, but then noticed a pink, rectangular object sticking out of his pocket. With his smooth, Clow Reed-like pick-pocketing skills, he pulled the phone out and noticed Syaoran had quite a few missed calls from his cherry blossom. He chuckled softly and replaced the phone. 

"She must be getting worried," Eriol whispered to himself.

* * *

"My apologies, Sakura-sama, but Syaoran-sama informed me that he was on an important mission," Wei said, standing in the doorway. 

"Mission?" Sakura inquired. Wei shrugged.

"I was just as confused as you are. He should be home soon though."

"Thank you, Wei-san," Sakura responded. She and Tomoyo walked away, and Sakura sighed.

* * *

When Syaoran woke up, he was horrified at what he saw. Eriol was standing over him, just watching. 

"There's a face you don't want to see first thing when you wake up," Syaoran joked. For the first time ever, Eriol truly glared.

"I see I'm appreciated," he feigned hurt. Syaoran chuckled.

"You know I'm grateful," he replied. Eriol smiled.

"I do believe it's about time you called your girl," he said. Syaoran agreed and dialed Sakura's number.

* * *

It was eleven thirty at night and Sakura was about to sleep when her phone rang. _Who would call this late?_ she thought to herself, not paying attention to the caller ID. 

"Hello, this is Sakura," she spoke quietly into the phone.

"Meet me at King Penguin Park as soon as you can," came the voice from the other end.

"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura attempted to ask, but he had already hung up. Sakura frowned and pulled out the Sakura cards. She looked over to her gift for Syaoran and figured it would be the only opportunity she'd have to give him the present on his birthday. She called out the Fly card, grabbed the item, and flew out the window.

* * *

When Sakura arrived, Syaoran was sitting on a park bench, guitar in hand. Sakura stared at him, bewildered, but Syaoran stopped her before she could ask anything. He strummed out a few chords before starting to sing. 

_Well, I know it's kind of late_

_I hope I didn't wake you_

_But what I got to say can't wait_

_I know you'd understand_

'_Cause every time I tried to tell you_

_The words just came out wrong_

_So I'll have to say "I love you" in a song_

Sakura watched in awe as Syaoran played the instrument with ease. She allowed the words to flood her mind as his voice flowed into her ears.

_Yeah, I know it's kind of strange  
But every time I'm near you  
I just run out of things to say  
I know you'd understand  
'Cause every time I tried to tell you  
The words just came out wrong  
So I'll have to say "I love you" in a song_

Sakura sat down next to her beloved and continued to stare as his fingers strummed the notes fluidly.

_'Cause Every time the time was right  
All the words just came out wrong  
So I'll have to say "I love you" in a song_

_Yeah, I know it's kind of late  
I hope I didn't wake you  
But there's something that I just got to say  
I know you'd understand  
'Cause every time I tried to tell you  
The words just came out wrong  
So I'll have to say "I love you" in a song_

Syaoran watched for Sakura's reaction as the song came to a close. Tears were filling her eyes as she stared into his chocolate orbs. He turned away, seemingly taking her response as a rejection. Just then, Sakura threw her arms around Syaoran's neck. He wrapped his arms lovingly around her in reply.

"Sakura, I love you," he started, "That song fit my feelings perfectly, although it should've been 'every time I tried to tell you, that plush toy or big-headed brother of yours interrupted'. However, that wouldn't fit into the time signature," he finished. Sakura giggled. "That toy isn't going to pop out of nowhere now, is he?" he asked worriedly.

"No, he was too tuckered out from helping me with this," Sakura answered, pulling out her gift for him. It was a pink teddy bear. "The last one ended up a disaster," she said, recalling the situation in which she had to transform the Fly and Sword cards, "so I started fresh." Syaoran smiled and took the bear. "Happy birthday, Syaoran." Syaoran was surprised at the lack of a formality at the end of his name, but quickly shook it off.

"Thank you, Sakura," he replied. Sakura smiled. After a moment, she noticed the bear that Syaoran had made several years ago for her. Noticing the direction of her gaze, Syaoran picked up the bear and handed it to her.

"Syaoran?" she started after a minute of observing the plush toy.

"Yes, Sakura?"

"It's your birthday, not mine."

"I know."

"So, why did you present this song to me on your birthday?"

"Because, Sakura, you're the perfect birthday present." Sakura blushed radiantly. "Well, you and a box of cupcakes. I love sweets." Sakura punched him lightly and he chuckled.

"Just shut up and kiss me," Sakura muttered. Syaoran stared at her in awe.

"Why, Sakura, how awfully forward of you!" he exclaimed quietly. She stuck her tongue out at him. He chortled. "I love you, Sakura."

"I love you too, Syaoran."

And with that, they shared the first of many kisses together. In the process, however, a small, tired voice could be heard from Sakura's purse.

"Did someone say…cupcakes and sweets?"

The End

* * *

Author's notes: I hope everyone enjoyed my story. The questions that Eriol asked Syaoran were a reference to _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_, one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. I recommend it to everyone, though you should watch it with someone else. It's funnier that way. The song was "I'll Have To Say 'I Love You' In A Song" by Jim Croce. I came up with the idea for this fic a few weeks ago, but then decided that I'd wait for Syaoran's birthday. Happy birthday, Syaoran! 


End file.
